By Stephanie Dwilson | 2025-12-03

South Korea recently launched its fifth military reconnaissance satellite, completing a project to maintain continuous monitoring of North Korea’s military movements at a time of heightened tensions.

The November 2 launch marked the final step in the multi-year 425 Project to deploy five reconnaissance satellites over the Korean peninsula.

The project's final satellite was sent into space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in the southeastern United States aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, as part of its rideshare program.

Falcon 9's Bandwagon-4 mission carried the 425 Project's fourth domestically developed Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite into orbit, along with 17 other payloads.

The project's first satellite -- an Electro-Optical and Infrared (EO/IR) satellite -- launched in December 2023, with SAR satellites launched in April and December 2024 and April 2025 steadily building out the constellation.

The EO/IR satellite carries an infrared camera, giving it an added layer of imaging capability, while each SAR satellite is equipped with sensors that can identify terrestrial-based objects as small as 30 centimeters.

The Korean Agency for Defense Development and Korea Aerospace Research Institute led the project as primary contractors, with Hanwha Systems Corp. also playing a major role, according to Space News.

French-Italian aerospace company Thales Alenia Space supplied SAR payloads and platform elements such as the Control Momentum Gyroscope and the ground system for data acquisition and processing.

'Sharper and clearer eyes'

South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said the milestone allows its military to "conduct independent, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance across the Korean Peninsula by operating the satellites as a cluster."

Three of the five satellites are fully operational already.

Once the entire constellation is active, South Korea will be able to closely monitor North Korea at roughly two-hour intervals, enabling faster detection of military equipment and troop movements.

"With the successful launch of the fifth satellite, our military now has sharper and clearer eyes," defense minister Ahn Gyu-back said in a statement.

With its constellation nearly complete, the country joins a small group of nations capable of conducting continuous space reconnaissance.

This marks an important step forward in reducing Seoul's reliance on US satellite intelligence, and comes as tensions continue to rise between Seoul and Pyongyang, which has cut off all channels of communication with Seoul.

In a bid to ease tensions and prevent border clashes, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in November proposed military talks with Pyongyang, the first such offer in seven years, AFP reported.

But Pyongyang did not immediately respond to the overtures, prompting Lee on November 24 to warn of the risk of accidental clashes, while stressing that Seoul would continue to pursue communications with the North.

Strengthening space security

The November 2 SAR satellite launch underscores South Korea’s broader push to strengthen its foothold in space security, with the defense ministry noting that the country’s ambitions extend beyond this military satellite constellation.

Seoul is working to expand its domestic space launch infrastructure and integrate civilian space expertise more closely with military defense planning.

And it has been actively developing and launching micro-satellites since 2022.

Meanwhile, North Korea has been pursuing its own satellite capabilities, including launching its first military reconnaissance satellite in November 2023.

But analysts say a satellite attempt that ended in a rocket explosion in 2024 has likely set back the program.